lucidprojectfandomcom-20200214-history
Ilienna Vivaldi
After going from a tired tree to a traumatized one, Ilienna Vivaldi is now determined to thrive. She currently lives in JINCHENGSHI working as a new detective at the La Porte Rouge Detective Agency. She’s hardworking and has something to prove, and she likes to believe that she is succeeding. Due to her previous position at the IGBI, she knows something about almost everyone. She uses this classified information to her advantage when it comes to detective-work. However, the fact that she did not have her memory cleared, as is protocol, is a secret. Her coworkers have no idea that she retains this information, and she plans to keep it that way. She’s had bad experiences regarding IGBI work and her social life before. When she is not on the clock, she can be found spending time with her friends around the district or walking her giant dog, Laksha. Because she lets Laksha take the lead while walking, she can sometimes end up in unusual parts of the city. Beyond the surface, Ilienna’s body functions more like the plant that it is than any animal. Her body is resilient, and she can regrow limbs over time as long as the trunk of her skeletal tree (her spine) is intact. She can produce an aroma soothing to carnivorous animals, and the flowers that grow along her spine can produce a delicious, pain-killing tea that functions as a healing aid. She can grow produce a numbing, acidic secretion from her mouth, and the implant in her head prevents mind-reading by anyone but the IGBI itself. She has a perfect visual memory, and she never forgets something she reads. 'Personality' There’s nothing in particular that would stand out about Ilienna in the street, except perhaps that she is rather pretty. She seems like a woman living her life, who keeps well-groomed and has decent manners. This is not to say that she seems vapid or bland — it’s just that her best qualities only shine when one gets to know her. Ilienna cares fiercely for her friends, and because she has made mistakes before, she tries her best to be a good friend herself. She respects their boundaries, their decisions, their privacy, and tries her best not to impose, sometimes to the detriment of herself. This is ironic, considering her inability to recognize when someone is impeding on her own privacy. Because of the decades she spent at the IGBI (and her resultant social circle), her sense of privacy is heavily skewed. She’s used to the idea of being watched from afar, as long as she can assume that no harm will come to her. She’s used to people being able to read her texts. She’s used to people just showing up in her home. Basically, she needs to actively relearn what rights to privacy she is entitled to. Some people confuse Ilienna for a nice person. That wouldn’t necessarily be accurate. She is desensitized to a lot of horrific actions and has difficulty bringing herself to care unless someone she knows is directly involved. She feels vindictive pleasure when someone she dislikes experiences a minor misfortune. She has a chip on her shoulder and a lot to prove (to herself as well as others), and she can come off as irritable. However, though she may not be a nice person, she is a good one. Although the people she cares for — and hell, even the people she knows — will take priority over strangers, she’s no longer someone who can just ignore someone in serious need of help. She knows her failings (though she is harsher with herself than others might be), knows that she can be someone better, and actively works towards that goal. Although it would be wrong to say that she doesn’t have her biases, Ilienna ends up giving anyone a chance the more she spends time with them. She is the type of person that cannot help but forge a connection with someone, given enough exposure to them. When things go wrong, she has a tendency to blame herself before anyone else, because it is easier to criticize her own action or inaction than that of others. However, due to past experiences, she often keeps her feelings to herself. Similarly, she rarely ever cross-shares information from one friend to another, which can put her right in the middle of some severe communication errors. More than anything else, Ilienna cannot watch someone die for her. Not again. But she realizes just as well, because she has been on the other side, that sacrificing herself for someone she loves is stupid and selfish. In a life-or-death situation, Ilienna will always try to keep both her loved ones and herself alive. Strengths * Determined: When something needs to get done and she’s the only one who can do it, she’ll get it done no matter what. She sees things through to the end the best she can. * Discerning: Especially in life-or-death situations, she can be trusted to take notice of vital details and demonstrates strong judgment in matters of immediate survival. * Devoted: She would never, ever betray her friends. They will always be her top priority, and once she considers you a friend, it is difficult to be pulled off that list. Weaknesses * Private: While keeping classified secrets is a strength, lack of communication with different people in her life has caused more than its fair share of problems. * Petty: When it comes to people she dislikes, she can find spiteful delight in their inconveniences, which sometimes bleeds into her direct interactions with them. * Partial: She can be incredibly biased, especially in favor of her friends, but also towards things she wants to be true; can fall into the trap of confirmation bias. Occupations In the past, she used to be an agent with the Intergalactic Bureau of Intelligence, in which her job was to play her part in archiving literally everything that happens in Lucid. She received a considerable salary, most of which went into savings, which she still has access to. Presently, Ilienna is the promising new rookie at the La Porte Rouge Detective Agency (LPRDA), and for good reason. Sure, she’s smart and hardworking, but she is also determined to prove herself. She never wants to be a passive bystander ever again. She is also incredibly moved by her like-minded, supportive coworkers — a novelty to her — so although she initially joined out of spite, Ilienna is now genuinely happy to work there. When not at work, Ilienna can often be found walking her giant dog, Laksha, around JINCHENGSHI. They often head to the park, but because she allows her dog to explore and lead the way, Ilienna can sometimes end up in unexpected parts of the city. Further, after finally quitting her soul-crushing job, Ilienna is rediscovering who she is and what she wants to do. She can be found spending pensive time alone in cafes or practicing her aim at firing ranges. Of course, above all, she is always happy to spend time with her dear friends, Lucien Yeoun and Valiant. Abilities Ilienna comes from a predatory species of trees which mimic the appearance of their herbivorous prey while befriending other carnivores. As such, she has multiple adaptations designed for these two purposes. She is best described as a tree. Her skeletal system consists of a dense but pliable wooden structure, branching out by the main ‘trunk’ which functions as her spine. As long at this trunk is intact, she can eventually grow back all other extended limbs. Her ‘muscles’ consist of twisted plant fibers, and her ‘flesh’ is best described as a particularly resilient fruit. She does not have pain sensors on her outermost layer, the exception being pain response to fire. Due to the natural oils of her flesh, she is rather flammable. It may be harder for her to catch fire than she fears, but once she is lit up, she is going to burn. (This is due to the hydrocarbon limonene present in her biology, acting as a pest deterrent.) As most prey on her species’ native planet walk with their dorsal line parallel to the ground, even though she is modeled after a bipedal humanoid, much of her biology is tailored for walking on at least all fours. For example, she can grow fine roots from her fingertips below the nails, as she would have had to drink water through the ground. She may not do quite that, but she does take in moisture by dipping her fingers into her cups. She also has a degree of fine motor control over these tendrils and could pick open a vintage-style lock. She can produce a numbing digestive secretion in her mouth, which she uses to eat. Although she has a trachea, she does not actually have an esophagus or digestive tract, and she must hold the food in her mouth until it is completely dissolved to gain nutritional benefits. Further, although she has lungs — as her species learns to mimic the vocalizations of its adopted form — respiration ultimately happens through the tree itself. Her back is actually partially hollow, exposing a stretch of her ‘spine,’ which is covered with pale five-pointed flowers. Because she breathes through her back, any paralytics that enter through the lungs do not affect her, and she can continue to speak in contaminated air. In exchange, covering her back in heavy material can feel suffocating, which limits her daily wardrobe. Her ‘hair,’ which consists of trellises of leaves, allows her to photosynthesize. In the presence of sunlight, she takes in carbon dioxide and produces oxygen. Of course, like most plants, if there is no sunlight, she will take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide. The flowers growing along her spine are also a natural adaptation of her species. Through them, Ilienna can release a powerful, clean fragrance that can de-aggress and or soothe carnivorous creatures. Her species is predisposed towards befriending carnivores, and this aromatherapy heightens the likelihood of reciprocation. To non-carnivorous entities, the aromatherapy has no physiological effect, but they may find it pleasant or unpleasant on an individual level with different psychological responses, as one might to any fragrance. Ilienna has found that a tea brewed from her flowers functions as a mild analgesic, a healing aid, and a weak anti-paralytic. The flowers present a similar effect when eaten, but to a much lesser degree. Due to a mutation, Ilienna suffers from a near perfect visual memory. She has never forgotten something she has seen and or read. This extends somewhat to sensation and hearing as well, but she is more likely to forget those two without additional visual cues. The implant in her skull prevents anyone but the IGBI from reading her mind or accessing her memories, protecting her from those particular forms of telepathy. It also stores any information downloaded through the IGBI resources, such as the various languages she has learned. Lastly, Ilienna’s flesh tastes similar to a peach, only with citric influence and a denser, heavier flavor. Her ‘bones’ also have a thick sap running through it that weighs on the tongue with a woodenly sweet taste. The leaves of her hair tend to take on the flavor of whatever she has been drinking lately. It used to taste of coffee, but lately it’s starting to taste more like wine (which is a good thing!). History Early Life Technically, Ilienna Vivaldi was a mistake. Her species reproduces by planting a seed in the nervous system of the organism that will function as its model, and this model is typically the creature the tree intends to prey upon. Ilienna, however, was born when a nature photographer on an expedition didn’t realize that she had a plant growing out of her nervous system. The poor woman expired on the trip back home, leaving Ilienna in her place, created in her image. But Ilienna doesn’t dwell on that. She was born fully-formed as a young adult, with her model’s general understanding of communication and society. So, understandably, her first few years of life were difficult. She had all the responsibilities of a young adult without financial or familial support. Those were dark retail days. Ilienna doesn’t revisit those. IGBI Employment However, living in Central, she managed to put herself through school, made great friends, and as a young ingenue, she decided that she wanted to play her part in helping people and keeping Lucid safe. She applied for a position with the IGBI at the youthful age of 21, and she got the job. Unfortunately, the job wasn’t what she had hoped for. She lasted longer than some of her colleagues, but within the decade, she too grew jaded, bitter, and cruel. By the time she was 40 years old, she lost all of her friends. In working at the IGBI, Ilienna overstepped personal boundaries by looking into their files so that she can better understand them, and when she slipped up in conversation, her friends grew scared or angry at the invasion of privacy. Some of them didn’t like how much Ilienna had changed from the stress of her job. Ultimately, they all cut ties with her, one by one. Learning from her mistakes, Ilienna adopted the policy to avoid reading the files of people whom she will interact with regularly. However, it was already too late, because by this point, she didn’t know how to make friends. Her coworkers were all terrible, and she didn’t have the energy to be outgoing in her daily life. This marked a period of extreme social and emotional isolation for Ilienna. Her sole companionship came from her dog, Laksha, whom she saved from the pound during this time. For six or seven years, Ilienna had no one else to depend on, no friends, no family… and this changes when she meets Death. They meet when he comes in for a screening at the IGBI, and Ilienna walks into him. From the moment he is polite to her, she is a goner. Death shows up to those who need him, and there’s no denying that Ilienna desperately needs a friend. And so, even though being in his presence is actively killing her, with extended company leading to extreme sickness, Ilienna becomes friends with him. He is her sole source of companionship and emotional support for forty years. Would You Rather When she is 86 years old, she is lured to an Ataraxian penthouse at the prospect of a pleasant evening, only to find herself trapped in a death game run by Claude Damas. Her participation sparks a revival of conscience, as she must confront the forgotten fact that her actions and inactions have consequences. She cannot just be a passive observer, as she was at the IGBI (and the game actively destroys what little faith she had in her workplace). She develops a strong sense of responsibility towards both Lucien Yeoun and Valiant, the person with her life in his hands and the person whose life was in hers. She survives the game, thanks to both of them sacrificing their lives, and she learns to live with both the trauma and the survivor’s guilt. Throughout this time, Death remains her sole source of true emotional support. However, as it turns out, Lucien isn’t dead after all, and when they reconnect, he becomes one of Ilienna’s closest friends. A couple months later, Valiant is also revived and joins them. As both of them live in Jinchengshi, she starts to leave Central to visit them, and in doing so, she also starts seeing Cello as her therapist. Ilienna’s newfound friend-group is good for her, reducing the need of Death in her life, but she is still very, very much dependent on him. Lucien's Kidnapping and the LPRDA All is well until Lucien is kidnapped by King, and Ilienna quits her job at the IGBI, resentful of how they refuse to help her find him. The LPRDA is called into help. However, as a whole, the investigation and retrieval goes so poorly that Ilienna is furious. Ilienna decides that if this detective agency can’t carry out a single investigation without letting a civilian get hurt, she’s going to change it herself. She starts training to apply for position, moves to Jinchengshi, and five months later, she gets the job. Now, Ilienna’s gotten over her grudge against the LPRDA. In fact, she’s proud to work there. She’s still adapting to a positive work environment that does work that matters alongside people who care, but it’s a happy problem to have. She’s going to be the best damn detective she can be. Current Affairs Ilienna’s ongoing story is simply one of recovery and self-improvement. Currently, her biggest problem is that, thanks to her former position at the IGBI, she knows that ace detective Florence Aznavour, beloved to the LPRDA, is actually the infamous, uncatchable Phantom Thief. Worse, he is actively working on (sabotaging) his own case. And though Ilienna knows this, she cannot reveal anything out of respect for her friend Valiant (Florence’s accomplice, roommate, and no. 1 fan), and also because she is not supposed to know this information. She is so frustrated. __NONEWSECTIONLINK__ Category:Characters